The North Port City Commission is looking to refocus its volunteer Medical Hospital Task Force. The commission is asking the task force to abandon thoughts of choosing between hospital proposals by Universal Health Services and Health Care Facilities Partners. Mayor Linda Yates and Commission Member Debbie McDowell said they were concerned that the task force would consider opposing the application for a for a certificate of need from the state by Universal Health Services — the parent company of Manatee Memorial Hospital. Yates said because the application was filed by a hospital, “that changes things.” She said that could be the break they had been hoping for, with a hospital provider coming to North Port.
